Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1887-09-23
SOME 'i'AiLOkS BILLS.
Thousands OF Men Who Den't Pay for
Their CI0thes-kn Army OF Dead
Beats in Cincinnati,
TIE New System by which Frauds are
Chockmated-Talkw with a Collector
of Many Years' Experience.
Cincinnati Enquirer.

until within the past year suffered severe
ly from men sud boys who got clothes
and would not pay FOR them. No one es-
capped from these parasites, and the
shrewdest and most careful tailor was Of
ten taken in.
It is astonishing how many men there
ere who are willing to beat tailor with
out the slightest twinge OF conscience.
One of the collectors tor large establish
merit related some of his experiences to
an Enquirer reporter. He has been in
the business twenty years, and is well
posted on ali the tricks and excuses OF
the professional dead beat. "You would
be surprised to know some of the men
who make q practice of swinGllng their
tailors," he remarked. "They include
lawyers, merchants and even ministers of
the gospel. The ma 0rity, however, are
young men who want to wear $50 clothes
on salary of S25 per month. We have
the most trouble with these young would
be-bloods.'
CHOW do they manage to impose on
the teilors?"
tIu various ways. Sometimes friend
wl0 is regular customer, will bring
q I'M in and Introduce him as friend
who wishes q new suit. The regular Gus
upon these representations the fellow is
measured and the clothes are msde.
When ne comes efter the suit he offers
numerous reasons for not paying cash.
His note has jast been endorsed, or be
has had obligations TO meet in other d.
rections. Frequently he gives his note,
which isn't worth the paper on which ii
is written. Somehow the beat used to
manage to get his clothes. After he once
PIT them on his back the tailor could
whistle for mis- money.
You must have lots of trouble in col
llc ing accounts"
More than you can imagine. One fellow
wants little more time or will call in q
few days ard settle. This favorlte ruse,
however, is that the clothes didn't fit and
he couldn't wear them. Dead beats
always insist that clothes don't fit right
I'll tell you very clever trick that has
been played on tailors often. A suit OF
clothes is ordered and sent to the young
mans home. He sends to the store and
says the clothes don't fit, and hands
the suit back to the tailor
After awhile he sends his
brother around, aud he buys the
clothes al discou Mt OF from 20 to 80 pei
cent. The original purchaser acquires
the garments at disCOlnt Of So TO $50
on first cost. When mems wives or sis
tiers don't like the color Of the cloth, they
often return suits on the ground that
they don't I'll. | know 4 prominent
young Official in this city who owes five
tsilors for clothes He might have con
tinued to swludle US bat for the establish
ment CT the Tailors' Exchange, which kas
proved a great blessing for the trade"
GLOW does il prevent the operations OF
dest beats?'
"EveTy merchant tailor in Cincinnati
belongs 10 the exchange. We nave a
lock which contains the name Of every
man who doesn't pay his tailor bills
When d man comes in ard wants sui;
we ask his name, and by reference to the
printed list We can tell whether IL is safe
TO trust him. If he owes another tailor
we can't make him suit OF clothes, ever
il be is willing to pay cash, until he has
settled the OLD bill. By thu system every
tailor is protected. There are blank
psges in the book, and whenever pew
dead beat turns up he IS promptly report
Ell to the exchange. Our list at presen-
contains $500 names, and we are con-
stantiy adding to the number. No man
unless he IS e thorough cheat, is put or
the list We always make allowances fol
men IN bad luck or who have family mis-
fortunes
"What 90 your customers think abou
the scheme?"
"Those who pay their bills like it be-
cause it enables US TO sell clothes cheaper
The dead beats are badly broken up oveI
the exchange. A man was in here few
minutes ago 20 get suit He said: {"
would like to buy g suit of clothes, but
suppose am reported" By reference
10 the blacklist we found he owed anothe
tailor SIS, and he was told to GO anC
settle that oil and then come around.
"What proportion Of the taiIors' bill
do you collect?"
THAT depends good desl on ci1cum.
stsrces, l would run after man for
year and every time he would have
different excuse. | have known case:
where, sitter two years Of dunning, ;
debtor would come in voluntarily and psI
his bill, out these cases are exceptions t
the general rule. The young bloods Wit
work in stores very seldom settle up, un
less we can make them pay cash on de
livery. The swell young fellows wit
rich fathers often refer US to the 'olt
Man, and he squares the account. Il
our list book you will notice that W
use the word 'crapk' quite often
That means in teiIor'e parlsnce ths
he is hard to please. The dead beats ar
the most particular patrons of the tailor
They want everything exact, and otte
fad very fitmsy excuses to keep tror
paying their bills. The members Of tn
exchange are considering plan wbic
will strike terror to the dead beats. w
will probably put lot of bills in jude
ment and then advertise them for sale i
the newspapers. They have decided
follow this plan in Philadelphia and othe
eastern cities. Many Of the young fellow
who detraud the tailors We know
pay their other bills. They seen
to think t1at to swindle
tailor is sll right. | could name four o
FIVE men prominent in society who hav
been wearing fine clothes for FIVE year
that they never paid cent for. Anothe
scheme that l nearly forgot is 20 pay
few dollars down and ask time for tn
balance. In nine cases out of ten this
q delicate plan of robbery. Some tim
ago, when we were absolutely certain
man was bad pay, we were powerless I
refuse him, because he was introduce
by patrons whom we dared not offend
Proprietors of stores often introduce U
to their clerks, and upon thei
recommendations we make theI